Companies,
like aging movie stars, sometimes find that the image they've spent
so many years cultivating no longer works. Whether the result of a change
in their focus or their ever-changing constituency's, crafting a
new image is daunting because of the inherent risk of alienating existing
customers and ending up with a new persona that doesn't attract
new ones.

Boatbuilders
are no different. Take Silverton. It spent years creating an image based
on one simple premise: maximum boat at minimum cost. Consequently its
models were known for spacious no-frills accommodations and low prices
achieved by strictly controlling costs. Vinyls, laminates, construction
materials, and finish goods were of good but baseline quality.

A few
years back Silverton decided to upgrade not just the quality of its boats
but the public's perception of it, without losing the things that
attracted people to the brand. The strategy involved investments in computer-controlled
design and manufacturing techniques and equipment, which allowed quicker,
cheaper product development and better cost control. The result was a
new generation of more finely finished models: the 453 Motor Yacht in
1999, the 43 Motor Yacht in 2000, and the 39 Motor Yacht, which was unveiled
at last year's Fort Lauderdale International Boat Show.

What
sets the 39 apart from previous Silvertons is not her layout. This is
your basic aft-cabin motoryacht: forward V-berth, raised saloon/galley/dinette
(with lower station available soon), and spacious aft cabin. There are
twists, like the "side walks," a Silverton signature that
in this latest iteration allows you to go from either side from bridge
to the bow while negotiating but two steps (and a wide, inclined side
deck) and never without a rail or handhold. But what really sets the 39
(and the 453 and 43) apart is construction and finish.

In the
case of using vinylester resin in its hulls, Silverton is frankly playing
catch-up with most of the industry. But it's also breaking new ground
in this price range. Take the engine-mounting system: Each gasoline or
diesel powerplant is affixed to a pair of steel I-beams that cap the stringers
and bolt to fore and aft bulkheads. Such a system, heretofore associated
with high-end brands like Viking, costs considerably more than simply
through-bolting fabricated platforms to engine beds but virtually eliminates
engine-alignment issues.